The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-04-14

doomed men. A man whose business
required him to pass near the locality of
the hanging, saw the crowd approaching,
and stepping to one side of the road,
permitted the entire procession to pass
without offering any molestation. He
gives the opinion that the victims were
mounted. He could see no one on foot,
and all were proceeding along leisurely
and quietly. He saw the party not far
from, the spot selected for the execution
of the deed, knoll on the road leading
northwest from the Jail, and only short
distance from the stone marking the first
mile from the Court House.
The most interesting scene in an affair
of this kind is supposed to be the bearing
and demeanor of the fated wretch, but
Just here our account of this one must be
at fault. We have not seen any one
who said he was there, nor do we know
whether or not the men bore up bravely,
or whether any. words of confession
escaped their lips. 1: is vaguely whis.
pered, but with how much truth we can.
not tell, that Giles Good was required to
act as the executioner of his four COM
rades, and was then compelled to tie the
knot of his own moose. To this last
requirement he is said to have demurred,
calculating, show the devil do you
expect man to hang himself" Again
it is said that no words were uttered by
any one during the enacting of the final
scene, further than one of them expressed
his desire of the manner of adjusting the
rope around his neck. The ropes used
were ordinary cotton, which appear to
have been used as plow lines.
As soon as it was possible for the
Sheriff to do 80, he went to the spot of
the execution, taking with him two ply
sicians, but they arrived too late to rem
der any assistance to the FIVE limp bodies
they found dangling from the trees-four
from one tree on the east side of the road,
and the other from the limb of stout
oak hard by on the opposite side. Life
was found to be extinct
The Sheriff caused the bodies to be cut
down Immediately, aud on blankets
spread upon the ground, laid them side
by side, under the branches of the tree
on which four were hanged. Here the
bodies remained until late yesterday
afternoon, when they were removed for
burial. Prindley Thomson's. relatives
took possession of his body and the body
of Bailey Dowdle was taken possession
of by his father. The other bodies were
buried at the expense of the county.
News of the lynching spread over town
rapidly, and from early in the morning
until late in the day, the scene was visi.
ted by throngs of persons.
The colored people, of course, visited
the dead bodies with no less motives of
curiosity than the whites; but if they
were disposed to censure the act. they
gave expressions in words to no such
feeling. In group of colored people,
about noon, was an auntie, who had q
letter written by Mary Thomson, the
mother of Prindley. The letter was
dated March 81, and reads as follows:
"MY DEAR CHILD If he has testified
that Giles Good led him into that mur-
deripg scrape, I do believe it, for he
could lead my child better than I could.
He has objected (prevented) his mother
from teaching him the right way, and
from my child's action what made me
believe it be always would mind Giles
Good from ten years old. I could not
correct him. Do, please, if you break
my child's neck, break Giles Goods, too,
for my sake. I do want to see my child
once more and if he is hung I do want
his body. MARY THOMSON"
This letter was intended for the Sheriff,
and is key to the bad reputation sus.
tanned in the neighborhood by Giles
Good. He was suspected of being the
chief instigator of the thieving which led
to the murder.
At IL o'clock yesterday, Coroner Cald.
we'll impanelled jury of inquest COM
posed as follows: ]. T. Lowry, foreman !;
J. G. Jackson, John May, Jr., A. F.
Mcconnell, J. e. Lowry, R. M. Steele,
Erwin Gordon, S. L. McElwee, b. w.
Hope, @. n. DIXON, B. N. Moor, @. j.
Hoke, A. NJ. Mcknight, W. L. Thomas.
The jury, accompanied by the Coroner,
went out and viewed the bodies. Drs.
White and r. Andral Bratton testified,
after examination of the bodies, that the
deceased came to their death from strang.
ulation, and that theneck of Nose Lips
comb was broken. The bodies were then
identified and the inquest adjourned to
the law Office of J. B. Bell. The only
witness examined was Sheriff Glenn,
who testified as follows:
On this morning about half-past four
O'Clock, was awakened from my sleep
by noise in the front portico-some one
loudly calling and demanding the keys
of the Jail. Igot up and walked out to
the portico. I found that it was filled with
men, completely cutting me off from the
avenue leading up to the door. They
demanded the keys, stating that they
were going to lynch those murderers. I
told them that would not give them the
keys. I saw that they were too many for
me and it was of no use to offer any
resistance. They numbered, perhaps,
about sixty or seventy: five. There was
considerable excitement and I could not
tell the exact number. 1 refused to give
them the keys, but. very soon found out
that they were prepared, with sledge
hammers and axes, to open the door for
themselves. [ went back to my room,